Comedian Hannibal Buress on ‘Live From Chicago’

It’s a treacherous business interviewing a stand-up comedian. In that millisecond interval between picking up the phone and saying “Hello,” you can delude yourself into believing that for a few syllables of one sentence of the ensuing conversation you may actually be as funny as the professional at the other end of the line.

This is a fallacy.

Case in point: Hannibal Buress.

You are not, and will not, be as funny as he is. It’s apparent from the get-go.

As one of the biggest names of the new century’s stand-up comedy renaissance, Buress headlines around the country, hosts a Sunday night comedy show in Brooklyn, appears on Comedy Central’s “Broad City” and Adult Swim’s “The Eric Andre Show,” and can be seen this spring in the film “Neighbors” with Seth Rogen and Zac Efron. Earlier this month, Buress tweeted that Comedy Central had picked up his pilot, “Unemployable,” for ten episodes. As it turned out, the network is still deciding (more on that later).

On Saturday, March 29th, Comedy Central will air “Live From Chicago,” Buress’s second hour-long special, filmed in his hometown. An uncut version of the show is currently available to download.

Buress’s new material ranges from frustration with social media to that one time in New Orleans when he paid for a personal street parade. He also cleverly utilizes musical cues and audio elements. One moment in particular, where Buress applies concert-style lip-synching to his stand-up, functions as a tidy bit of meta-commentary on the art form of stand-up itself.

I spoke with him last week about “Live from Chicago” and how he’s managing the transition from a young up-and-comer to an established professional.

I first saw you in 2010, opening for Aziz Ansari at Comix NY. Where was your career at that time?

I was just grinding. I think in 2010 I was just starting to go on the road on my own. I was doing a lot of opening for Aziz. I was writing at “Saturday Night Live” so that was my first “job” job. I was just wanting to become a better stand-up and do more television and work on that. It has been a good progression. But at that time in 2010 I was a new comic and just pretty psyched about the spot that I was in: Writing on “Saturday Night Live” and opening for one of the top comics in the country.

The word I’ve used to describe your stand-up is “exasperated.”

Exasperated? That’s definitely part of my stand-up, being baffled by some people’s lack of logic. When I think something is wrong and I know in my head that it is wrong, and I can explain why it is dumb and it is wrong, that can really upset me. Especially when the other person…after I explain why it is wrong and they don’t accept why I am right, that makes me even angrier. So there is an aspect to my comedy that is that. But then you also have the New Orleans stuff. It is a party bit. It is a bit about having fun and kickin’ it, which is something I haven’t talked much about.

In “Live From Chicago” you tackle social media and the anxieties of emerging as a public person. Has it been a difficult transition?

It’s been okay. I’m pretty good at it. I’m still adjusting to people in general and their energy. You know, balancing the fact that people may be psyched about me and what I do and my own privacy and trying to control my time. But you know, sometimes people are rude. They’ll interrupt you! I’ve been in the middle of a conversation and somebody just walks up and says, “Can I have a picture?” It’s like, “Hey, I was talking to my girlfriend.” I’m a dude where I will tell you what you are doing wrong. Maybe it is something about my vibe and persona where people…they feel very familiar with me. The way people approach me I sometimes don’t even know if it’s somebody I knew already, or if it is a fan. But that’s part of the business, and part of being out and about and on social media.

Now that this special is complete, how are you pushing yourself in stand-up? What are you working on?

Nothing I’m pushing towards. I want to figure out a way to incorporate more video and more multimedia into my stand-up. That’s what I want to do for my next tour or special: To make it more presentational. Maybe have a power point?

What brought that on?

There are a lot of people who have done that. But going to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and seeing the types of shows people put on that are not just straight stand-up: That have audio-visual elements and really well thought out concepts. Seeing a bunch of them over the course of a month really opened my mind to what you can do with comedy.

Obviously I can do pure stand-up with a mic, but what other ways are there to make people laugh? I watch comedy and get excited about it, but I also go to concerts and think about how I can make my show feel like that. Without going too crazy, what can I do with this to make it a higher energy and make it more memorable and make people want to come back?

What was it like to work on “Neighbors” and be in the Seth Rogan movie machine?

It’s cool. I’m exited to see how it comes out and just watch it on the big screen. He’s a really driven dude, is very productive. He’s cool to watch. It’s a good example of how to handle yourself in the business.

Did you do a lot of improv on set?

A lot of improv on set. The script is just a guideline. They encourage improv and they also feed lines to you too. You’ll be on set and they will say, “Try this, say this.” The story is set and I’m some part of that, but I’m not moving it really. So my bit is just to try to make it the best and give them the most s— as possible.

What is the status of “Unemployable” at Comedy Central?

I don’t know, man. I think it’s going to get picked up. I’m very positive about it. I think you’re supposed to put your dreams out into the world, and let people know what you’re thinking. I think they will order it for 10 episodes. I thought they did. I misunderstood. I thought that they did and so I announced that they did. I think that they will.

Are the challenges at this point in your career different than when you were starting out?

Now it’s just figuring out what I want to do with my time. Then it was, “I’m trying to do this… I’m trying to headline… I want to perform at this festival…” Where now it is just figuring out what I want to do in May. Do I want to tour and work the road and make money? Or do I want to stay in New York and work on new material and get batter? Or maybe just travel and go have some experiences I can write about. Or do I want to go to L.A. and take acting classes and try to meet with people and audition for s—. Or do I want to just sit and write for a month and come up with movie ideas and TV ideas? It’s a lot of options.

Is it a new kind of pressure to have to think strategically like that?

It’s pressure, but I kind of go with my instincts. Or maybe there is a way of doing a mixture of all of it for a month. Maybe I’ll just tour for a week, then work on ideas for a few days, and then go on auditions. It’s not tough, it just takes time and I’m learning how to handle it.